Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to charging users for resource usage in a wireless communication system.
Description of the Related Art
Heterogeneous wireless communication systems include base stations and access points that operate according to different radio access technologies (RATs). For example, a heterogeneous wireless communication system may include Wi-Fi access points that operate according to IEEE 802.11 standards in unlicensed frequency bands or base stations that operate in licensed frequency bands according to standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The Wi-Fi access points may operate according to IEEE Std 802.11ac™-2013 or IEEE Std 802.11n™-2009, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Unlicensed frequency bands are portions of the radiofrequency spectrum that do not require a license for use and may therefore be used by any device to transmit or receive radiofrequency signals. For example, the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) is formed of portions of the radio spectrum that include frequency bands in the range of 5.15 GHz to 5.825 GHz. For another example, the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum that are reserved internationally for unlicensed communication. The ISM radio bands include bands with a center frequency of 2.4 GHz and a bandwidth of 100 MHz, a center frequency of 5.8 GHz and a bandwidth of 150 MHz, and a center frequency of 24.125 GHz and a bandwidth of 250 MHz, among other frequency bands. Unlicensed frequency bands can be contrasted to licensed frequency bands that are licensed to a particular service provider and may only be used for wireless communication that is authorized by the service provider.
The base stations and access points may be implemented as parts of different networks. For example, LTE base stations are implemented in a corresponding LTE network and Wi-Fi access points are implemented in a corresponding wireless local access network (WLAN). The different networks may be interconnected by one or more interfaces or routers. For example, the Wi-Fi access points and LTE base stations may be co-located, implemented in a single physical entity, or connected by an Internet Protocol (IP) routable path so that information can be communicated between the Wi-Fi access points and LTE base station on the basis of their corresponding IP addresses. User equipment and the heterogeneous wireless communication system may therefore communicate with either the LTE base stations or the Wi-Fi access points of the corresponding air interfaces. User equipment typically implement multiple radios for transmitting or receiving signals in the licensed or unlicensed frequency bands. For example, user equipment may include a LTE-L radio to transmit and receive signals in the licensed frequency bands according to LTE, an LTE-U radio to transmit and receive signals in the unlicensed frequency bands according to LTE, and a Wi-Fi radio to transmit and receive signals in the unlicensed frequency bands according to Wi-Fi.